May 28 – Gibraltar Gun Field Crew Ready For Collingwood
It’s been a gruelling two months of training but the Gibraltar Field Gun crew are fully prepared and ready to head to HMS Collingwood for the annual Field Gun competition.
The competition will take place on Saturday 6th June where there will be crews representing units from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines as well as the British Army and Royal Air Force, all hoping to win the coveted Brickwoods Trophy.
This year Commander British Forces, Commodore Ian McGhie, has been training with the team and will be taking part in the competition. The training is intense and has a number of benefits for those taking part.
He said: “There is a serious training element within Field Gun, it enhances key military skills such as leadership, discipline, fitness and team work. Everyone who is taking part has given up their spare time to train and compete. It has been extremely hard work and I am delighted with the effort put in by everyone involved. I would like to think we are now ready for the challenge in the UK.”
The competition is fast and furious and requires 18-man teams to run, dismantle, reassemble and fire the gun in the shortest possible time. It is crucial that the heavy pieces of the gun are all disconnected and reconnected in perfect sequence with precise timing. The gun itself weighs in at 850 pounds with a total weight of just close to a ton when you take into account the Limber and wheels.
The origins of the competition lie in the Second Boer War in South Africa with the siege of the British garrison in Ladysmith in 1899. The Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful to support the British Army. The guns were transported by rail as far as possible before being pulled by oxen on makeshift carriages. The final leg of the journey was across complex terrain which left the sailors from the Naval Brigade no alternative but to physically carry them to their besieged comrades.
When the siege finally ended the sailors from the Naval Brigade paraded their guns through London and appeared at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament. Brickwoods Brewery donated a magnificent trophy and the first Brickwoods Field Gun competition was held in 1907 at HMS Collingwood.
Local companies Specialist Medical Clinic, BFBS, IBEX, Interserve, Trafalgar Bar, Euroship Supplies, Gibmaroc and Sacconne & Speed have all been extremely supportive and sponsored the Gibraltar crew to enter the competition.
Physiotherapist Joyce Evans, from sponsors Specialist Medical Clinic, is passionate about working with the team, she said: “I’ve been working with Field Gun for over 20 years and have worked with numerous teams in that time. The tradition of Field Gun is still very strong within the Navy and we are very proud to sponsor the Gibraltar crew.”
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